


I Don't Ever Want to Know, How to Let You Go

by ThereIsNoTragedyInThat



Series: A Thousand Futures of Me and You [218]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Boys In Love, Domestic Fluff, Don't copy to another site, Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Protective Tony Stark, Stephen Strange is perfect, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23230672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThereIsNoTragedyInThat/pseuds/ThereIsNoTragedyInThat
Summary: Stephen and Tony, in love, on a quiet night.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: A Thousand Futures of Me and You [218]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1118655
Comments: 11
Kudos: 111





	I Don't Ever Want to Know, How to Let You Go

**Author's Note:**

> Music I've been listening to while writing recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSx20-CVTKY  
> Yes it might be a bit morbid but its a beautiful playlist, enjoy :)

Stephen rubbed blearily at his eyes for the umpteenth time, hands shuffling the rolls of parchments and books in front of him. Wong had left a little over an hour ago, exhausted and needed at Kamar-Taj. The scribbles of long dead sorcerers were beginning to look one and the same and information cycled in his head endlessly, making his eidetic memory absolutely hellish on this particular occasion.

Sighing heavily, Stephen dropped his head into his hands, a headache chiseling away at his calm demeanor. As if he had sent out some sort of beacon, there was a subtle clearing of a throat from the doorway, the gentle tap of knuckles against the frame. Stephen didn’t need to look up to know Tony stood at his door, hair messy and pajama pants hanging low on his hips, the picture of temptation.

At least he knew it wasn’t on purpose.

“Are you ok?”

Answering felt like an insurmountable task in of itself, though apparently the Cloak had no such qualms. He heard Tony’s quiet chuckle and the rustling of fabric and two bare feet padding across the hardwood. Soon enough a familiar hand was cupping the back of his skull, sliding down and kneading at the tension in his shoulders, the touch just enough to bring a smile to Stephen’s lips.

“You’ve been at it all day you know, something like twelve hours-” Stephen stilled and Tony smacked him playfully. “I’m not lecturing you, I’m not that much of a hypocrite.”

Shaking his head, Stephen opened his eyes and blinked down at the onslaught of information, willing himself to focus, “I just need to figure out where the magic is coming from. When that’s done, I can pass it all off to Kamar-Taj.”

The hands on his shoulders paused, “do you want me to stay or go?”

There was little to no inflection in his tone. That didn’t mean Stephen didn’t hear, through years of familiarity, the reluctance, the unease. Reaching up with trembling fingers, he gripped Tony’s hand, still not looking at him, and squeezed, “if you don’t mind hunkering down on the sofa, I’d like you to stay.”

A kiss was pressed to his head, a silent thanks.

“I’m going to get some coffee first. You want anything?”

“Tea,” Stephen replied offhandedly. “The special one in Wong’s cabinet.”

Tony made a sound of disapproval that was duly ignored. His headaches weren’t anything new and Stephen disliked taking pain medication unless it truly became a monster of a migraine. The other man knew that and so didn’t say anything else as he slipped out of the room.

Glancing up, Stephen smiled a little at the obvious agitation of the Cloak, which hovered in the doorway. It seemed to glare at him reproachfully, obviously unhappy that Tony hadn’t whisked him off to bed instead of encouraging his behavior. Ridiculous as the Cloak often was, protective and possessive, it was nice to have someone looking out for him in that way. Tony and Wong took care of him, but they respected his choices, even when they were poor like tonight, the Cloak had no such qualms.

Stephen patted the arm of his chair and watched with warm eyes as the Cloak came close and draped itself half in his lap and half on the chair. He petted the fabric softly, reassuring his friend that he was alright and in due time, would take care of himself. He’d never abandon him or his family by dropping to the floor in exhaustion.

“Sometimes I wonder about that thing.”

Tony walked in, balancing two steaming mugs and eyeing the way the Cloak wrapped securely around him. They had a tumultuous relationship but tonight wasn’t the time to get into another one-sided argument with the sentient fabric, which Tony very well knew. The tea was set on the edge of the desk, well away from any important documents and Tony settled himself on the couch close to the fireplace where he pulled out a tablet from the cushions.

Something in Stephen’s heart cracked a little. A small sting of pain that came with a love so strong the human spirit wasn’t sure how to contain it. This scene, late at night, in his office was heart-wrenchingly domestic and the realization was…well it made it a bit hard to breathe if he was honest. In a good way of course.

He allowed himself a moment of indulgence. Just one. Watching and feeling and smiling before lowering his head over those documents again, aching fingers tightening around his pen and focusing entirely on the work.

Things didn’t move any faster. They wouldn’t with exhaustion and aches and too much information suffocating the night. Stephen didn’t mind, simply moved methodically through each and every book and parchment until, with a sigh born more of relief then excitement, everything came together with a solid click of inspiration.

Sending the whole thing off to Kamar-Taj took no more than ten minutes and when Stephen finally shook himself from his daze, he found a most peaceful sight. On the sofa, the tablet had slipped from Tony’s lap and landed safely on the cushion next to him.

The man himself was slumped against the armrest, chin pressed into his chest and eye lids flickering with some unknowable dream. The ache in Stephen’s heart was back but it was eased with warmth and adoration, as he stood and made his way to his lover’s side. Standing there, Stephen carefully carded his fingers through rough and disheveled hair, caressed stubbled cheeks, brushed trembling thumbs over cheekbones and bruises eyes, touched oh so gentle the swell of his lips.

Tony Stark.

Smiling a little Stephen leaned down and pressed a kiss, chaste and light as a feather. Felt the intake of breath and the flutter of eyelashes against his cheeks as he woke. Let the sensation of strong, calloused fingers winding into his hair and cupping his neck ground him in the here and now.

With a moment of startling clarity, Stephen realized that this right here, this calm and quiet scene in front of a fire; was the happiest he had ever been. Looking down at Tony’s dark and loving eyes, he thought, the same might be true for the man he loved so desperately too.


End file.
